49ers’ Kaepernick talks preseason debut, relationship with Baalke

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick walks on the field during warmups before a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick walks on the field during warmups before a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Photo: Jack Dempsey, Associated Press

Photo: Jack Dempsey, Associated Press

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick walks on the field during warmups before a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick walks on the field during warmups before a preseason NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Photo: Jack Dempsey, Associated Press

49ers’ Kaepernick talks preseason debut, relationship with Baalke

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Colin Kaepernick missed the majority of the offseason practices and the first two preseason games but doesn’t feel he’s missed out on his chance to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback in Week 1.

On Wednesday, Kaepernick — two days removed from returning to practice after dealing with a shoulder injury — said he believes he still has a chance to beat out Blaine Gabbert.

“Yeah, most definitely,” Kaepernick said. “I’m going to go out and show everything I can these next two games and make sure I put my best foot forward to show this organization, this team, this coaching staff what I’m capable of.”

Kaepernick will get his first chance to make an impression Friday, when the 49ers host the Packers at Levi’s Stadium. It will mark Kaepernick’s first game action since Nov. 8.

He has since undergone three surgeries — procedures to his non-throwing shoulder, knee and thumb — which caused him to miss all but the final three practices of the offseason program. During training camp, his shoulder injury forced him into a spectator role during his competition with Gabbert, who has completed 10 of 19 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown in the preseason.

“Very, very frustrating,” Kaepernick said of being sidelined. “Not something I was expecting, but at the same time it was something I had to deal with and make sure I was prepared for this coming game.”

Kaepernick appears to be facing long odds in his quest to start against the Rams on Sept. 12. He has only two preseason games to make his case, and the exhibition finale, which will be in San Diego on Sept. 1, is often one in which most starters don’t play. On Saturday, Gabbert recovered from an uneven preseason debut, and head coach Chip Kelly noted his command of the offense after he completed 6 of 9 passes for 69 yards.

Does Kaepernick think his time off has given Gabbert the edge?

“I can only worry about myself,” Kaepernick said. “I focus on the reps that I get and the mental reps that I’ve taken. So when I step on the field, I feel very prepared.”

It appears the coaching staff intends to give Kaepernick a legitimate chance. On Wednesday, Kelly said Gabbert and Kaepernick had split the first-team practice snaps this week, which was how the reps were divided before Kaepernick was injured. Kelly declined to say which quarterback would start Friday.

“It’s not time,” Modkins said. “It’s a competition and Kap hasn’t had a chance to perform yet.”

And what if Kaepernick recaptures his early-career form? In 2012, in his first 10 career starts, he outdueled New England’s Tom Brady on the road, had the most rushing yards by a quarterback in NFL history in his playoff debut, directed the biggest comeback in NFC Championship Game history and became the only quarterback to pass for 300 yards and rush for 60 in a Super Bowl.

In 2013, his first full season as a starter, Kaepernick became the fifth quarterback to have 3,000 passing yards, 20 TDs and 500 rushing yards while throwing fewer than 10 interceptions in a season.

Of course, his career has since cratered. Last year, he was benched after eight starts and he requested a trade in the offseason, partly because of his distrust of the 49ers’ front office.

In early June, Kaepernick said he hadn’t spoken to general manager Trent Baalke since he reported for the offseason program two months earlier, a clear sign acrimony still existed between the parties. Last week, Baalke said he’d recently had a “good conversation” with Kaepernick, but Kaepernick only offered that “it was a conversation” when asked Wednesday whether Baalke’s description was accurate.

So what is the status of his relationship with Baalke?

“We have a business relationship,” he said. “That’s the point that we’re at.”